Patrick J. Adams' Dream Suits Cameo Never Came To Be
"Suits" continues to have a monumental run over on Netflix, having just eclipsed "Ozark" for the record of most consecutive weeks at number one at the top of the Nielsen ratings. During the show's initial nine-season run on USA Network, the legal drama's popularity attracted a number of actors who helped share the spotlight with the core cast to help bolster ratings and fill in new storylines. Throughout the series, appearances from legendary athletes like Charles Barkley and Michael Phelps ended up happening after both of them made it clear that they were huge fans of the show on social media. Adding fresh faces to interact with the cast isn't always a slam dunk, however, and a quick cameo from the wrong actor or celebrity could end up throwing off the natural chemistry and subtle alchemy between the main stars of the show.
Thankfully, "Suits" or its spinoff show "Pearson" never ran into that problem, with character actors like Eric Roberts and Neal McDonough slipping into small but impactful roles throughout multiple seasons. The number of actors clamoring to be on one of the most popular legal dramas of all time led to a veritable revolving door of possibilities, leading stars Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle to dream big. In an interview with celebrated television host Larry King, both Adams and Markle were asked who they'd love to work with if given the chance, and Adams may have been aiming a little too high with his answer.
It never hurts to ask
On his show "Larry King Now," Adams and Markle spoke about how much their lives had changed with the monumental success of "Suits," and the possibility of having a Hollywood legend appear on the show in some capacity. "I keep trying to get Dustin to come from 'Luck,'" Adams wished out loud. "I want to get Dustin Hoffman."
From a distance, that ask may have seemed like a massive long shot. But when Adams was still a struggling actor, he appeared on HBO's ill-fated show "Luck" which centered around the high-stakes world of professional horse racing. Adams had a three-episode arc as a cutthroat securities trader Natan Israel, who boasted the confidence of his character Mike Ross on "Suits" with none of the humility. If Adams was a betting man, he seemed to be fully aware that the odds were not in his favor. "I think it's gonna be a little bit of a hard sell, but I've tried," he told King.
During filming, Adams endured a 14-hour day filming a scene with Hoffman, Dennis Farina, and Joan Allen in a cramped elevator, according to an interview in The Hollywood Reporter. The two actors must have bonded just enough for Adams to think that he could convince Hoffman to walk into the offices of Pearson Darby Specter on "Suits" for what would have been one of the most high-profile cameos in cable TV history.
In the Larry King interview, King and Adams briefly bonded over working with Hoffman and how the legendary actor loved telling stories about his Oscar-winning career. King worked with Hoffman in 1997's "Mad City" starring John Travolta. Adams remarked, "He'll see you and just stop and tell a story, and no crew is gonna go 'No no no, we don't have time for this,' because it's, you know, the best Old Hollywood story you've ever heard."
Who knows, maybe there's a chance Hoffman could still appear in the new show set in the "Suits" universe that's officially in development.